State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has urged the implementing authority to complete the Matarbari coal-fired power plant project within the tenure of the incumbent government.
"It is our expectation that the project will be completed at least two years before the scheduled deadline," he said.
The state minister was speaking at the deal signing ceremony with the design and supervision contractor of the power plant project.
State-run Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Ltd (CPGCBL) inked the deal with the joint venture of Tokyo Electric Power Services Co Ltd and Nippon Koei Co Ltd of Japan, Fichtner GmbH & Co KG of Germany and SMEC International Pty Ltd of Australia.
The contract value is Tk 6.23 billion.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hamid said the government has included it in the list of high-priority fast track projects considering its urgent need to meet the mounting energy needs.
He said the government has targeted attaining the status of middle-income country within 2021 and developed one by 2041.
The country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is hovering around 6.0 per cent over the past one decade, he said.
With the implementation of different energy projects of the government, the GDP growth could be raised to around 8.0 per cent to upgrade the country's economic status, said Mr Hamid.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been funding the US$4.0 billion project, which includes construction work for the power plants, deep sea port, navigation channel, coal handling facilities, access roads, transmission lines and consulting services.
The JICA's vibrant cooperation in power and energy sectors has been increasingly in Bangladesh, said JICA Senior Representative Toyama.
"Our total support to power generation has amounted to 2,370 megawatts (MW), which is 23 per cent of the total effective capacity including both existing and under- construction plants," he said.
Under the project, two coal-based power plants having electricity generation capacity of 600 MW each will be commissioned within 108 months.
Bangladesh's first-ever deep sea port of 18-metre depth with a navigation channel of 1.2 kilometres will be built under the project, which will allow Panama-class ships of 80,000 tonnes to directly enter for unloading imported coal.
A high voltage 400 kilo volt (KV) power transmission line from Maheshkhali to Anwara, and construction of road and two bridges from Chakaria up to the project site will also be built.
Some 1,414 acres of land have been acquired at Matarbari under Moheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar district for implementing the project.
Ultra super critical technology will be used at the Matarbari coal-fired power plant project, which will have work efficiency of 41.99 per cent.
Power Secretary Monowar Islam said the government is eyeing early implementation of the project to ensure electricity availability at reasonable rate.
"We want to see at least one of the two units of the power plant to be completed by 2018," he added.
Newly appointed Chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Shahinul Islam Khan said the government has a plan to add around 10,000 MW more electricity by 2018.
azizjst@yahoo.com
